[02/09/09 - 12:14 PM]ABC Takes Second to a "Grammy"-Boosted CbsABC spins the numbers for Sunday, February 8.

[via press release from ABC]

Fast Facts for Sunday, February 8, 2009
(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Takes Second to a "Grammy"-Boosted CBS, Marking its Best Results in 9 Weeks

"America's Funniest Home Videos" Draws its Top Viewer and Adult 18-49
Numbers in 1 Year and its Highest Adult 18-34 Rating in More Than 2 Years

Growing from its Most Recent Original Airing 3 Weeks Ago, ABC's "Housewives" is Sunday's No. 1 Entertainment Series for the 13th Time in its 14 Originals This Season

Up from its Last Telecast in Mid-January with Viewers and Young Adults,
"Brothers & Sisters" Towers Over NBC's Original Movie in the 10 O'clock Hour

Sunday Primetime (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite a "Grammy"-boosted CBS, ABC took a solid second place on Sunday, beating out third-place NBC with its "2009 Pro Bowl" overrun into the first hour of prime by 3.7 million viewers (10.8 million vs. 7.1 million) and by 94% in Adults 18-49 (3.5/9 vs. 1.8/5).

� In Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC posted its best Sunday numbers in 9 weeks � since 12/7/08.

� ABC's "Desperate Housewives" qualified as Sunday's No. 1 entertainment series telecast in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 13th time in 14 original broadcasts this season.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

Opposite competition including a highly-rated installment of CBS' "60 Minutes" and NBC's "2009 AFC/NFC Pro Bowl" overrun, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" drew its biggest audience (9.3 million) and top Adult 18-49 rating (2.8/8) in 1 year � since 2/10/08 and 2/17/08, respectively. Additionally, the venerable ABC video-clip show turned in the series' highest-rated telecast in over 2 years with Adults 18-34 (2.3/8) � since 1/28/07.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in against the opening hour of CBS' "Grammy Awards," ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" outperformed its nearest non-awards-show competition in the hour by 3.4 million viewers (10.4 million vs. 7.0 million � NBC's "Dateline") and by 48% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.3/6 � Fox's "The Simpsons"/"King of the Hill").

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

On its first original telecast in 3 weeks, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" bested its nearest non-"Grammy" competition in the 9 o'clock hour by 7.4 million viewers (13.7 million vs. 6.3 million � NBC's "XII Part 1") and by 96% in Adults 18-49 (4.9/11 vs. vs. 2.5/6 � Fox's "Family Guy"/"American Dad").

� Compared to its most recent original airing in mid-January (1/18/09), ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was up by 5% in Total Viewers (13.7 million vs. 13.1 million) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (4.9/11 vs. 4.6/10).

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Holding second to the "Grammys," ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" outdelivered the final hour of NBC's original movie ("XIII Part 1") by 3.1 million viewers (9.3 million vs. 6.2 million) and 138% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 1.3/3).

� "Brothers & Sisters" was up from its most recent telecast in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (1/18/09 = 8.9 million and 2.8/7).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to more than 29% currently, from 22% at the same point in 2008. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 2/8/09.